In reference to last week’s update about the Alternate Approval Process (or AAP), please reference the Save Our Saanich website below for complete details. It is located on the homepage under the heading – “Saanich Operations Centre Redevelopment Project”. I encourage EVERYONE to review as it affects both you as a Saanich taxpayer, and us in Cordova Bay, specifically with our upcoming Aragon proposal at the Gravel Pit. If the AAP is successful, it will embolden Saanich and Aragon for further unencumbered overdevelopment. Let’s send a clear message: we are paying attention and prepared to act.

Here is the link to the Save Our Saanich website - Save Our Saanich

Please also see the following letter written by Saanich resident Dave Secco. If affordable housing is the stated reason for overdevelopments like the much-anticipated Aragon project, then what is the justification if that claim is simply untrue?

Dave’s Letter - 

Flooded housing market could bring affordability.

Toronto is experiencing its slowest condo sales in 30 years. Since the pandemic, the Vancouver market has slowed with almost 2,500 condo listings downtown alone!

Victoria? There are more than 800 condos and townhouses listed for sale in our city. Full page colour ads in the Times Colonist flogging newly built ones are common. Strata units are a hard sell, say some real estate agents.

Yet, the cry remains: “just build baby!”

If perpetual development was the answer to our housing shortage, then Toronto and Vancouver would have solved the shortage years ago.

If building more and more was the answer to our so-called “affordability crisis,” then Toronto and Vancouver would have solved those years ago too.

Instead of the present assault on our neighbourhoods by developers, perhaps the province and the municipalities should learn from the oversupply in Toronto and Vancouver and listen to many of their constituents and take their foot off the gas!

Nope! Instead, large, majestic trees are felled, roads are dug up everywhere you look, new sidewalks and bike lanes installed seemingly willy-nilly and on and on.

Construction, construction, and more construction.

People are stressed. Pissed about the traffic. Choked that development on steroids is being forced down their throats!

Many have formed protest groups. Others have simply moved out of town.

So far, the politicians have listened with their ears plugged.

If the market continues to get flooded and prices are reduced so things will sell, maybe then, we’ll have “affordable housing!”

Thanks very much Dave. Well said. 

Thanks everyone for the continuing support.

Best Regards,

Dan Horth